What You See
by Amalia Autumn
Summary: Set after the movie. She didn't realize that, all this time, he had grown to love her...


She should've seen it all those times whenever he smiled at her and said a compliment about something, anything, whether it be her hair, how great she looked, or her eyes. She should've seen it whenever he bought her a bouquet of wildflowers every Sunday evening. He knew those were her favorites. She always said it reminded her of the flowers her and the Roma used to tend to back home, before she was sold to Eckhart.

She told him that after getting to know him. She had told him everything. They really were good friends.

Noa felt she should've seen it when Alphonse asked her to be his escort at the festival last spring. She'd never forget when he asked. After she said yes, he leaned foward, closer to her. They didn't kiss or anything like that, but what he did was still rather intimate. He'd rested his two fingers on her forehead, smoothing the anxious creases she'd had there ever since officers tried to take her away the year before just because she was a gypsy. And all he said was, "Okay."

And then, the night before, they'd had a fight.

Noa felt terrible, because she was the one who had started it. It started off a perfectly normal night, she was cooking dinner for Alphonse. Edward was away at a meeting at the university, so he wouldn't be back till very late.

He had snuck up from behind her and hugged her from behind, resting his chin on her head and saying, "That looks really good, Noa."

"It is--at least I hope so," Noa said, and as he touched her, her clairvoyance took over very briefly before she forced herself to focus. What she felt for that brief nanosecond was a warm, cozy feeling radiating from him. Then, when she forced herself to focus, the kitchen came back into view.

She had learned to control her power. It came with age. After her past birthday she had learned to control it.

And for that birthday, Alphonse just happened to give her the new dress she'd looked at for months but could never afford...

"You all right, Noa?" Al noticed she was rather somber.

Noa remembered that at that time she had been upset over a bunch of men driving down the road, calling her nasty names just because she was a gypsy. She was with Gracia at the time, and Gracia had told her to think nothing of it, they were rude, inconsiderate, and cruel.

However, the things those men said still hurt Noa. She was not as resilient as Edward and Alphonse were. She happened to dwell on things, she even felt insulted or hurt even if Edward had merely teased her. She was very sensitive that way. Perhaps it was her clairvoyance that made her mind open and sensitive.

"Yes, I'm all right," Noa had lied pitifully. She knew she was a terrible liar. Alphonse knew that, too.

He held her tighter and she turned off the stove and sighed sadly, her head bowed down in shame. Noa hated lying, no matter how small or minute it was. The Roma always said that lying was a work of evil.

"Tell me, Noa, did anyone bother you at all today?"

Although Noa wanted to say yes, she lied again, "No, no one bothered me at all."

It was her mind. She never liked burdening anyone with her problems. She felt that, as a clairvoyant and independent gypsy, her problems were things she could solve on her own. They weren't important to anyone else.

She never knew till now that Alphonse thought differently about that.

He'd pulled away and she turned around to face him. His gray eyes were hard and unfathomable. His mouth was curled into a dissatisfied frown. Noa knew she'd upset him.

"You don't tell me anything, Noa." he said coldly, "Why?"

She'd grown timid and chastised, "I'm really sorry, I..." she trailed.

"You're just like Brother, you know that?" Alphonse's voice had rose somewhat, "You always hide things, and not tell anyone because you feel it's _your _burden! Someone said something to you, didn't they?! What did they say?!"

Noa had jumped when she heard Al's voice suddenly rise. She swallowed and looked down at the floor, clasping her hands together,

"I...they said..."

And she told him.

Al had paused, and then he sighed, "You shouldn't let them get to you, Noa. The things they said mean nothing..."

He moved closer to her and she looked up, surprised that he was just inches away from her. She could the heat radiating from his body.

She'd gasped when he placed a bold hand on her cheek and continued his sentence,

"...the things they said--mean nothing to how I feel about you, Noa..."

He'd indeed inherited Hohenheim's impulsive nature. Alphonse was just as reckless as Edward, when he wanted to be.

Her eyes widened. _What did he mean by that?_, she remembered wondering at that precise moment.

And then he kissed her. Without warning, without caution, he just kissed her.

Her clairvoyance took over at that precise moment. She felt what _he_ felt at that instant, she felt like she was stuck in a box that was too small for her, that stifled her. She also felt that warmth again, that warmth being released within the kiss. She also felt the boxed feeling finally fade.

This feeling scared her, because she herself had felt it once before.

_Heiderich..._

Noa rested a hand on Alphonse's chest and shoved him back, anger in her brown eyes. He looked confused.

"How could you?!?!" Noa found herself yelling as she stalked towards him and jabbed a finger into his chest,

"You think you can just _play_ with me like this?!?! You're trying to replace Alfons Heiderich, I knew it! I knew it all this time! How could you?!?! How--how _dare _you--?!?!"

"What?" Al, for the first time in years, actually looked vulnerable. Actually looked as if the words, every word she said, were stabbing his heart brutally every single time.

"You can never replace Heiderich!" Noa exclaimed, acting before thinking, "Never! Do you understand? I've--I loved Alfons! In the short time I knew him, I loved him! And that will never change! Not even with _you._"

She said the last word as if she were speaking of an ugly old animal than of a sensitive human being. But as she said it her thoughts finally caught up with her and she finally looked at Alphonse, actually _looked_, and her own heart broke.

His gray eyes looked like shattered glass, his face was paler, and his mouth was a skillfully thin, emotionless line.

He clenched his fists, hardened his expression, and turned around, walking to the front door.

"Where are you going?" Noa demanded.

"Out. Don't wait for me." Al said coldly, tugging on his coat.

"Wait, Al--!" Noa grabbed his arm.

He turned, his face suddenly resembling Edward's whenever Edward got upset,

"Get off of me."

Noa had been silenced. She slowly removed her hand from his arm, and he put a hat on, gave her one last look, and slammed the door behind him.

Noa was paralyzed. She suddenly felt a terrible weight on her heart.

Guilt.

She should've seen it after all he'd done.

She should've seen that all that time, Alphonse Elric had grown to love her.

---

Edward had returned from his meeting at midnight, hungry and tired. Noa had fed him, and then he'd asked where Alphonse went.

He still wasn't back yet. Noa had been too busy feeling guilty to find him.

She'd tensed up, saying he just left, but she also told Edward she would go look for him.

"Noa, it's kinda dangerous out there, especially for you. I'll go find him." he said gently.

She abruptly shook her head, "Stay here in case Alphonse returns. Gracia and I will look for him."

It was strange saying his name. Just hours ago she used the name to describe someone else.

It took a lot to get Ed to stay, but he did. Noa had woken up Gracia, apologized fervently, and now she was running down the main street towards the park, while Gracia looked uptown with Hughes, who was also woken from his slumber.

Noa entered the park, after talking to the patrol officer guarding it. He'd let her in after she explained her situation. He even helped, looking on the west side of the park.

Noa strolled down the brick road, noticing wildflowers wherever she walked. It tortured her. Two days ago Alphonse had given her a fresh bouquet...

Noa gasped. She was so caught up in her thoughts she jumped when she saw a familiar young man sitting on one of the benches, a small daisy in his hands. He looked at it sadly, muttering,

"Simple, yet beautiful...just like..."

Noa's heart broke once again. She walked slowly towards him.

He didn't notice her till she took the flower from him. He looked up in curiosity, then his expression hardened again.

"Noa." he said.

He'd bundled up for this weather. Noa hadn't.

She let out a shuddering breath, it came out in cold smoke. She wrapped her arms around her form and asked quietly,

"Can we talk?"

He paused, staring at her suspiciously.

"...please?" Noa implored.

Another pause. Then he rose, coming behind her and putting his coat around her form.

"You'll get sick," he said coldly, and they began walking down the path towards the exit from the west side.

There was a long, awkward pause. Then, Noa inquired,

"Aren't you cold?"

Al nodded, "I'm used to it."

She furrowed an eyebrow at him.

"I've been cold ever since I went into the armor. Now that I'm human--all I remember is cold, so that's what I feel."

Noa remembered that well. From seeing it in him. She gently grasped his hand and looked up at him,

"My hand is warm. At least you'll remember what warmth feels like."

A small but distant smile adorned his features. He didn't look at her as he said,

"I know what warmth feels like. I felt it before you..."

A hurt look crossed his features. Noa sighed sadly and clutched his hand tighter.

"I'm so sorry, Alphonse." she said.

Alphonse sighed, "And who are you saying that apology to?"

Noa looked at him, confused, "What do you mean?"  
"I mean are you talking to me or are you talking to the other one?"

Noa's heart broke once again, "I am talking to you. Alphonse Elric...the man that I love."

She didn't realize it until after she said it. It was true. She indeed loved him.

He finally met her gaze. "Are you just saying that?" he asked in that hopeful child's voice. His eyes lit up.

Noa gave him a gentle kiss on his lips, "No, I do love you." she said, chuckling.

They both stopped, and Alphonse held her close. The angry expression on his face was gone. He was about to kiss her again when Noa felt a drop on her nose.

She looked up.

"What is it?" Al followed her gaze, but ended up having a snowflake fall into his eye.

He wiped his eye, and Noa giggled, shutting her eyes and letting snow fall onto her face.

"I love the snow. So quiet and comforting." she said quietly.

"Yeah, me too...we'd better head back before we both get sick," Alphonse mumbled, wiping the snowflake off her nose with his own nose.

She giggled again, "Right."

**Fine, people, I admit it. (shot) I have a thing for this pairing...(shot again)**


End file.
